WARREN — The Trumbull County Board of Elections certified all independent candidates who filed to run on the Nov. 4 general election ballot, but discussed the eligibility of four because of issues with their nominating petitions.

The four candidates who the board discussed Wednesday and eventually voted 4-0 to certify are: incumbent Warren 5th Ward Councilwoman Tiffany Stanford; Geo Kuriatnyk, who is running for Niles council at-large; Julie Lengyel for Hubbard council president; and Jonathan Rose, who is seeking a Hubbard council at-large seat.

Lengyel had “two strange things” with her candidacy, said Stephanie Penrose, board director.

One is she forgot to put the date of the election on her nominating petitions and the other is she moved Jan. 2 from the township to the city, Penrose said. To be eligible to run for council president, Lengyel has to live in the city for a year before taking office should she be elected.

Penrose said not including the date of the election isn’t a problem because everyone who signed her petitions knew it was for the general election.

Penrose said she received legal opinions from Hubbard Law Director Mark Villano and the county prosecutor’s office that stated Lengyel meets the residency requirement.

But Hubbard Councilwoman Bonnie Viele, D-1st Ward, said Lengyel doesn’t meet the requirement and filed a formal protest Tuesday to her candidacy.

The board will schedule a hearing to determine if Lengyel is eligible at a later date.

The only other candidate to file for Hubbard council president is Democrat Michael Mogg, the current 3rd Ward councilman.

Kuriantnyk filed nominating petitions with 67 signatures, needing 61 to be valid to qualify to run for Niles council at-large. The board initially ruled 58 were valid, but gave Kuriantnyk an opportunity to get affidavits from people who printed their names on his petitions. He presented three of them to the board, which certified his candidacy Wednesday.

Kuriantnyk also didn’t include Trumbull County on a nominating petition, but that isn’t an issue to not certify, Penrose said.

Kuriantnyk will face three Democrats for the three at-large council seats in Niles on the Nov. 4 ballot. Kuriantnyk ran in 2023 for mayor as an independent, losing by 48.8%.

Stanford put the wrong date for the general election on her nominating petitions for her Warren council seat, Penrose said.

The board got a county prosecutor’s opinion that it wasn’t an issue as there is only one general election, Penrose said. Stanford will face Democrat Michael Shrodek and Republican Ashley McBride, who formerly represented the 5th Ward as a Democrat.

Rose “technically had the wrong petitions” submitted to the board, Penrose said.

He turned in petitions for those running as a partisan candidate — Democrat or Republican — instead of as an independent.

But there was no intention to deceive anyone as the petitions stated Rose was running as an independent, Penrose said.

In addition to Rose, there are two incumbent Democrats who will be on the Nov. 4 general election ballot for the three Hubbard council at-large seats.